CIA didn't get disputed documents until February 2003 after Bush claim

Boston Globe ^ | 7-16-03 | John J. Lumpkin

[mikenola]

WASHINGTON (AP) When the Bush administration issued its pre-war claims that Iraq had sought uranium in Africa, the CIA had not yet obtained the documents that served as a key foundation for the allegation and later turned out to be forged, U.S. officials say.

[cyncooper]

but doesn't this shoot their theory to hell?

Yes. The brighter dems realize it and are making tactical corrections. The dimmer bulbs are plodding on the old path.

[Dog]

This story just came to a sudden stop I think. This news will filter out to the masses thru the internet and Fox News...so the media can't bury it. I see alot of RATS crawling back off the limb....they find themselves on tonight.

[cyncooper]

Oh, he wasn't giving me trouble. I gave in to temptation to gloat when more ammunition for my arsenal appeared on the scene.

Glad to hear an investiagation into the forged documents will be done.

[Eva]

This just gets dumber and dumber. So now they are claiming that it was not Tenet's fault that Bush quoted the British intelligence on Iraq' attempting to acquire uranium from Niger, because Tenet didn't know the documents were false, but had warned that the information could not be corroborated. First, Tenet did not warn that the British information was bad. Second, Bush only said that Saddam tried to get the uranium, not that he was successful. Third, Niger has denied selling Iraq uranium, not the fact that Saddam asked them to sell it.

[George W. Bush]

They can't claim Bush knew the uranium story wasn't true because the CIA didn't get the document until after the SOTU.

Dog, you need to think about this. This actually makes it even worse. And it is more insulting to Blair. But then, he's only going to spend 7 hours in Washington. I'm surprised he didn't just cancel.

This whole Tenet apology is truly inept politics. Someone needs to resign for allowing the WMD flap to be revived like this.

[cyncooper]

You know what? The media realizes now Blair really is coming to the U.S. tomorrow and will address the joint session of Congress. They ignored it when it was announced last Friday, but it was clear to all of us what the implications were---Blair was going to lay waste to this ridiculous nonsense once and for all.

I hope Blair speaks in the evening, I need to be gone tomorrow afternoon for a few hours (west coast time) and I do not want to miss him.

[deport]

They can't claim Bush knew the uranium story wasn't true because the CIA didn't get the document until after the SOTU.

---

But that's part of the problem you see.... Using unvetted info that couldn't be documented at the time.....

[George W. Bush]

The IAEA lists that Saddam bought something like 250 tons of yellowcake from Niger in 1981-1982.

Niger flatly denies it. And they must be aware that lying about it might be uncovered since a sale that big would have witnesses and records. And the British and American anti-war press offering big bucks for anyone to uncover the info.

So, who's the bigger liar: the U.N.'s bumbling IAEA or Niger? I can't decide.

I don't think the Niger connection has ever been proven by anyone. Not yet anyway. And in SOTU, Bush said "Africa", not "Niger".

[cyncooper]

Do you know what time Blair will be addressing Congress tomorrow?

(And it is silly to say this makes it worse. It does not. Nobody's insulted Blair and Blair is not insulted. But anyway, since you are aware Blair will be here precisely 7 hours, can you give the itinerary? Thanks)

[George W. Bush]

Do you know what time Blair will be addressing Congress tomorrow?

Sorry. Haven't seen it yet. Perhaps it's not set in concrete or security concerns prevent the release of the itinerary.

(And it is silly to say this makes it worse. It does not. Nobody's insulted Blair and Blair is not insulted...

No, and Chretien and Chirac and Schroeder all love us too and aren't holding grudges. They've said so publicly so it must be true.

I really hope you're not this gullible. Blair faced a fresh round of criticism and 'poodle' remarks because of this Tenet blunder. Condi Rice, bless her, saw the damage and jumped in to support the Brits but that only helped a bit; it didn't really undo the damage.

...But anyway, since you are aware Blair will be here precisely 7 hours, can you give the itinerary? Thanks)

From this thread:

After an Oval Office meeting Thursday afternoon, Bush and Blair are to stride into the majestic, marble-floored Cross Hall to make statements and answer a few questions from reporters. Blair was making a brief sprint through Washington - staying only about seven hours - primarily because he was invited to address Congress on the way to Asia. Last month Congress agreed to give Blair the Congressional Gold Medal but the still-to-be-minted award won't be presented until the fall.

[cyncooper]

The CIA has alway said, and says to this day, that they have information on the uranium story--the fragments. Not unvetted, but unverified. The British have the amount of documentation that satisfies them.

And so we close the circle back to where we started: That Bush cited British intelligance. That our CIA had information independent of any forged documents, but not enough to satisfy them to sign off on the president informing the American public based on their info alone.

This last is important because some media, and therefore freepers, claimed the ONLY information the U.S./CIA ever had were the forged documents. I've argued that was not true and am glad to see it start to be spelled out.

[alnick]

They can't claim Bush knew the uranium story wasn't true because the CIA didn't get the document until after the SOTU.

Dog, you need to think about this. This actually makes it even worse. And it is more insulting to Blair. But then, he's only going to spend 7 hours in Washington. I'm surprised he didn't just cancel.

But the Brits have said that their intelligence is about more than the Niger documents, that they have info independent of the Niger story. The president didn't mention Niger at all in the SOTU.

Aren't a lot of people assuming that the "16 words" refer to Niger as opposed to somewhere else in Africa?

[Howlin]

Can you tell me how much "room" 250 tons would take up? Saying it was all together?

[habs4ever]

This is coming to a dead end because there are two separate documents, and the one getting the attention is a French DGSE forgery.All roads lead back to Paris.

[cyncooper]

Thanks for the information. I was one of the first freepers to report last Friday that Blair was coming to the U.S. AND would be addressing a Joint Session of Congress. For a while I was posting it on every thread I could find because I perceived the implications. It even led me to post my first (and so far only) article as a thread unto itself!

The media basically ignored the impending visit and I have been meaning to search for the particulars---so thanks again.

No, I am not gullible.

[George W. Bush]

Aren't a lot of people assuming that the "16 words" refer to Niger as opposed to somewhere else in Africa?

I'm not. As I pointed out in my post above. Apparently, the Niger thing comes from the IAEA accusation that Niger sold 250 tons of yellowcake to Saddam in 1981-1982 (which Niger denies). I think the whole Niger thing is about U.N./IAEA incompetence and that Dim agitprop tool, Wilson, who is carrying the knife on this one.

I suspect that Niger may be telling the truth. If Saddam's yellowcake came from Niger, it might have been purchased/shipped by a third party. Let me see... Who manages all those yellowcake mines in Niger? Oh, yeah. The French!!!!!!

You can connect the dots for yourself. But if true, it would tie in with Chirac selling Saddam the Osirak reactors at about the same time. My, what a strange series of sheer coincidences that would seem to be...

[ladyinred]

I see that in spite of the fact that they didn't have said forged documents which is one of the things they have been accusing Bush for, they are still calling him a liar more or less. I had hoped the new info would shut them up, but they will just skim over it and continue with their deceitful agenda.

Hey Media/DemoRATS, where is the evidence?
Are you just trying to overturn the will of the people?

[mware]

Batchelor and Alexander (talk show hosts on wabc radio nyc) had a guy on that said that the French intelligence agency gave the info to UK and told them to please not share it with the US because they would be in trouble with Chirac.

For that reason they said they attempted to vet out the information through other sources.

A representative from Niger stationed in Italy, made up forged documents which was purchased for 2K.

Since that time the one who wrote the forgery has been recalled to Niger.

By the way Niger was a French colony with very heavy French influence.

[mware]

Jim,

Has anyone established a link between Wilson's wife, who worked for CIA in area of WMD, and Scott Ritter?

[Ethyl]

They can't claim Bush knew the uranium story wasn't true because the CIA didn't get the document until after the SOTU.

---

But that's part of the problem you see.... Using unvetted info that couldn't be documented at the time.....


Not necessarily a problem, because Mr. Bush said that "we learned from the British....." Not the CIA.